What units should I use?

You can use any consistent units — mM for [S] and µmol/min for v, for example. The calculator is unit-agnostic; the reported Km will be in the same units as [S] and Vmax in the same units as v.

Why do I need at least three data points?

Linear regression requires at least two points to define a line, but three or more points are needed to assess linearity and get a meaningful R² value.

What does a high R² mean?

An R² close to 1 indicates the transformed data fit the Lineweaver-Burk model well, supporting Michaelis-Menten kinetics. A low R² suggests non-linear behavior, cooperativity, or experimental error.

Can this detect inhibition?

Yes indirectly. Competitive inhibition increases the apparent Km while Vmax stays the same; uncompetitive inhibition decreases both; non-competitive inhibition decreases Vmax while Km remains unchanged. Compare runs with and without inhibitor.

What are the limitations of the Lineweaver-Burk plot?

The double-reciprocal transformation amplifies errors at low substrate concentrations (high 1/[S] values). For precise parameter estimation, non-linear regression on the original Michaelis-Menten curve is preferred.

Lineweaver-Burk Calculator

Name: Lineweaver-Burk Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter substrate concentration and reaction velocity pairs to compute Km and Vmax via the Lineweaver-Burk double-reciprocal linearization.

Enter Kinetics Data

Add at least 3 rows. [S] and v must be positive numbers.

[S] (substrate)	v (velocity)

Enter data and click Calculate to see the plot

Transformed Data (1/[S] vs 1/v)

[S]	v	1/[S]	1/v

Summary